Freezer compartment in refrigerator door



July 12, 1955 R. E. KING FREEZER COMPARTMENT IN REFRIGERATOR DOOR Filed March 22, 1954 FlG.l

G mm M E H P L A R HIS ATTORNEY FREEZER CGMPARTIgENT N EFRIGERATOR Ralph E. King, Erie, Pa., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Appti-cation March 22, 1954, Serial No. 417,639 Claims. c1. 62102) This invention relates to household refrigerators and,v more particularly, to refrigerators having both a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment.

Household refrigerators of the two compartment type presently have the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment arranged in vertical spaced relation with each compartment being insulated from the other compartment. Insulating of the compartments from each other results in the need of two evaporator sections operating at different temperatures. In addition, positioning of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment in vertically spaced relationship results in one of the compartments having easier access thereto than the other compartment.

This invention contemplates a freezer compartment disposed within the door of the refrigerator; a single evaporator cools both compartments, thereby eliminating the necessity of two evaporator sections. Moreover, the present invention provides both freezer and fresh food compartments which have portions that are equally readily accessible, and portions that are not as easily accessible so that articles may be stored according to the expected use thereof.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a freezer compartment in the door of a household refrigerator.

An object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator of the two compartment type with a fresh food compartment isolated from the evaporator to maintain high relative humidity in the fresh food compartment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a re-' frigerator of the two compartment type with an evaporator disposed outside both the fresh food and freezer compartments.

A further object of this invention is to provide a positive air path for cooling both the fresh food and freezer compartments of a two compartment refrigerator.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims" annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a refrigerator having a cabinet providing a fresh food storage compartment and a duct or passage disposed about the top, back and bottom walls of the food storage compartment.

A door pro-- vides access to the front of the food storage compartment and has an inner door spaced therefrom toprovide a second compartment therebetween. The inner door is spaced from the upper and lower edges of the first mentioned door to provide upper and lower openings for the second compartment, with the lower opening in communication with the portion of the duct or passage disposed beneath the bottom wall of the food storage compartment and the upper opening being in communication with the portion of the duct or passage disposed above the top wall of the food storagecompartment. -A

closed circuit is provided which includes the passage,

posed therebetween.

Patented July 12, 1955 the openings, and the second compartment. tor. is disposed in this closed circuit.

storage compartment at above freezing temperatures.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a household refrigerator Referring to the drawing and particularly Fig. 1, there v is shown a refrigerator cabinet 2 having an inner liner 3 and an outer casing 4 with suitable insulation 5 'dis- A wall 6 is spaced from the inner liner 3 to provide a duct or passage 7 therebetween, the

relationship of the wall 6 to the inner liner 3 being clearly shown in Fig. 2. The wall 6 also serves as the wall for the fresh food storage compartment 8, which is provided with suitable shelves 9 for holding the contents of the fresh food compartment. A door 14 provides access to the fresh food compartment 8 and the duct 7. A suitable gasket 15 is disposed on the cabinet 2 to prevent air leakage therefrom. posed of an outer panel or wall 16 and an inner panel or wall 17 with suitable insulation 18 disposed therebetween. wardly.

' An insulated inner door 19 is spaced from the door 14, as clearly shown in Fig. l, and secured thereto by A gasket 32 is disposed on the edges of the wall 6 to cooperate with the inner door 19 to pre' vent air leakage between the storage compartment 8 and the duct 7.

An evaporator 33, which is part of the usual wellknown refrigerating system, is disposed in the lowerpor- An ice tray 34 is shown disposed above the evaporator 33 in tion of the duct 7, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

the duct 7 through the lower opening 23 to the compartment '24 and through the upper opening 25 back to Thus, the compartment 24 receives the in-' itial refrigeration effect of the evaporator 33 so that the compartment 24 may be maintained at sub-freezing tem An vapo r'a Also a fan is' dis: posed in the closed circuit to circulate air through the As shown, the inner panel 17 is dished in The. gasket32cooperates1 with the inner door 19;t.o prev vent any leakage. ofair from the; closed;circ11it-;.

ltzwill, bev understood that. the evaporator-'33: couldbe; disposed inthe. upper: portion; of the duct 7 provided: that the farr were; disposed so. asto, permit, thefiow of, air. to... beioverthe evaporator: through the; uppenopening 25, thenthroughthecompartment.- and the; lower opens. ing. 2.3-backtothe duct 7 Thus; the compartments 2.4 would still be receiving; the. refrigeration; 61160;? or the;i evaporator 3:3; first; so; that it: could-she; maintained at; a temperature below freezing. The fan; 35 could-,bef-dise, posed; in; any po'rti'onofi the. closed circuit; as long ast-it. circulatedgthe air. in. the; desired; direction; It. will, he: understood. that: the inner. door 19 could be; hingedto' the; wall 6; rather than the door 1.4., if; desired;

While. the: present invention; has been described by reference to;. a. particular; embodiment thereof, it will be understoodthe modifications may bemade by thoseskilled; in; the. art without; actually; departingfronrthe; invention: 1, therefore aim in the appended claims: to; cover all such. variations as come wit 'u the; true-spirit andzscope-of-v the-;.foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1-, A refrigerator having. a; cabinet: providing a food storage compartment, a door providing. access. tov said. compartment,- an inner door spaced. from said filiStrlTifin tioned door to provide a freezer compartment between. said doors, an evaporator disposed adjacent the lower portion of: the storage compartment, said'innerdoor be.- ing-spaced from the upper and; lower edges of .said first-i mentioned: door to provide air: openingsto and fromsaid freezer; compartment, means to circulate. air over said; evaporator'through one of' said openings, said: freezer:- compartment and said other openingito' return to. said compartment maintaining said; freezer sub:freezing temperatures to-preserve-the contents of the.- freezer compartment in their frozen condition-. 2a-A refrigerator. having a cabinet providing a food! storage. compartment, a passage v disposed. about the. top, the: back, and bottom. walls of; said food" storage;- compartment, at doorproviding access to. the: front ofssaid; food storage, compartment, an inner door spaced from:

said first door to provide a second compartment 'thereei between,v said. inner door being spaced from the-uppen and-lowened'ges of said first door to provide openings;

said lower'opemng being. in. communication with the; portion of said passage disposed beneath the bottom wall;

of said food storage compartment, said upper; opening being; in. communication with. theportions of I said passage disposed above-the. top Wall of: saidfood storage com-'- partment; a closed circuit being provided through said passage-,.o'ne of said openings, said second compartment, and-i the. other ofsaid; openings,. an evaporator disposed".- in; theiportiontofxthe. passage. disposedbelow: the-bottom; wall," ofa said foodstorage.- compartment, andxmeansst'o circulatei through the; closedcircuit and oven. the:

evaporator to maintain the second compartmentatsub- 5511i inner: door being spaced f ror'n the upper-- and towercompartment. at-

evaporator, said; circulation; of air: through saidifreezer edges of saidfirst door to provide openings, said lower opening being in communication with the portion of said passage disposed beneath the bottom wall of said food storage compartment, said upper opening being in communication with the portion of said passage disposed above the top wall of said food storage compartment, a closed circuit being provided through said passage, one of said oP IlingS; said second compartment, and the. other; of said openings, an evaporator disposed in said passage, and a fan disposed in said passage, said fan circulating air from said, evaporator directly to said second compartment and then through the remainder of the closed circuit to. maintain the second compartment at subzfreezing temperatures so that the second compartment will function as a freezer compartment and to' maintain the food storage compartment at above freezing temperatures.

4. A refrigerator having a cabinet providing a food s orag ompartment, a, passage disposed about; the. top,

hi: hack; and; bottom wallsz-ofqsaidfood storag Corn par men a door. proyiding. access. heiront; otsaid foo.d ;,s.toragercompartment, an, inner door. spaced. from saidfirshdoor; to provide a; second compartment thereetween said, nncrdoor being; spaced from the upper. a lower; edge of; saidfirst door to provide; openings, saij 1QWQI'10PIllBg' b 6lI,1g in. communication withthe portion-soft said. passage; disposed beneath the bottom wall; of, said; food storage; compartment, said upper opening; being-in communication. with the portion of said passage disposed above the'topwall of said. food storage compartment',-. a, closed circuit being provided through said passage, one of said openings, said second compartment, and. the: other of, said openings, an evaporator disposed inythea portion-pf said-passage disposed below the bottom, wallofisaid foodstorage compartment, and a fandisposed insaidpassage,saidfan circulating air from said evapora-i tor; directly to; said second compartment through said lower-opening; and; thengthrough the remainder; of the; osed-.circuin o maintainthe e ond omp r m n at; suhifreezing; temperatures so that. thesecond compart-,- ment will function as a freezer compartment; and, to maintain, the-food; storage. c mpartment, at above;- reezi s; mperatures.

5. A refrigerator having a cabinet providing a food; storage-compartment, apassage, disposed aboutthe top, the back, and bottom, walls of; said food storage com-,- partment adoor providing access to. the fron v of said. food storagecompartmentran inner; door; spaced from;

aid; firstdoon to; provide: s nd. compartment. herebe weenn aid; inner doorzheing p ced: from the.- pp r and: lower edgesof. said: first door; toprovideop ni gs. said lower opening being in communication withthe portion of said passage disposed beneath; the bottom wall ofgsaidg food storage; compartment, said upper opening ing in comm nicationwith he-por ion of saidnassage: disposed.- aboye he; top wall: of said food; storage conipartment; a; clos'd circuit eing provided. hrough. aid pass ges; ne-of. sat ndihe; o her. ot saidopen ngs. an evaporator; disposed; in the po ionof; the passage disposed; below the. bottom.

f a dvfo dj storage, co; partment, an ige trgy p .hei QXQ a JgQ relation Wi. hsaid evaporatorand; 5 i ate- I-i hr the closed. circuit-ands 'nmtain th secondgcom g t -t l br ee i a mperatures sov that the; second; P- QBE U. u c n as afre zer mpartment; and. om i a the o st age mpartment atabove-freezat mne am es...

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,028 046" Calatroni Jan, 14, 19,36 2165;480- Hastings 1 July. 11-, 1939 22972581 x p p 7 Sept. 29, 1 9 42.- 2 ;373 ,d1'8- Tobey"mans-"us"--- Apr. 10, 1.9451

pening aid. second. ompartment;- 

